THIS SCREENSHOT SHOWS THE INTERACTIVE PITTSBURGH POLICE CRIME DATA PORTAL DASHBOARD THAT WAS RECENTLY LAUNCHED BY THE CRIME ANALYSIS UNIT OF THE BUREAU OF PITTSBURGH POLICE. ONLINE USERS CAN FILTER RESULTS BY POLICE ZONE, NEIGHBORHOOD, CRIME TYPE OR DATE.

A new online portal gives Pittsburghers a general overview of criminal activity occurring in their neighborhoods and across the city.

The Crime Analysis Unit of the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police has created the Police Data Portal that is collected from the police bureau’s records management system that stores all records of reported criminal activity.

The data is gathered from police reports and not from calls for service records, a City of Pittsburgh press release reads. “Not all calls result in a police report.”

Users can filter results on the dashboard by police zone, neighborhood, crime type – aggravated assault, arson, burglary, homicide, robbery, shooting, theft, theft from vehicle and vehicle theft – or date. 

Results will not show victim names, exact addresses or violent sexual assaults.

The portal is currently updated between the 1st and 5th of each month, with plans to establish a data feed that is as close to real-time as possible as the bureau updates its records management system.

“By making comprehensive crime data publicly available and easily accessible, residents are better informed about their own neighborhoods, the city as a whole, and the work of the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police,” Pittsburgh Police Chief Larry Scirotto said in a city press release. “As Chief, I am committed to driving accountability through transparency and the Police Data Portal is another building block toward that goal.”  

Hannah Geczi, a crime analyst with the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, told WTAE the database is an interactive tool that allows residents to inform themselves of what is happening in their neighborhoods and other areas with the information at their fingertips. 

“This project actually originated as an internal request, where command staff and some chiefs wanted officers to be aware of what goes on in their communities – what happens overnight – keeping officers in the know as they come in and out of shifts,” she said.